Corny Laurney....
You sound just like a baker!
The idea of fried pies has entered into the equation and is starting to take off. My Mom's last restaurant didn't make it because she tried to offer a variety of more upscale food, and the country folks weren't ready for that. However, even after closing her doors, she filled orders for fried pies out of her house until she went back into nursing. Can do it with very little start up costs and hit the Farmers Market on weekends to gauge interest before investing in a storefront. Might even have investors within the family that know about Mom's pies. Little Sister is showing interest in helping too, and that makes me extra happy.
Fried pies, Baked Fried Pies, Meat Pies
...and of course there will eventually be a healthy baked Poodle Pie for the pups.
My mom used to make killer chocolate fried pies - they were to die for. Of course, the unspoken house rule was that my dad got first dibs on the chocolate ones - my sister and I were supposed to be content with the apricot. They were plenty good and I don't ever remember turning one down, but they didn't make your toes curl like the chocolate ones. Luckily, my dad was very generous.
As for the sugar in the cornbread thing, that's just not right - it doesn't taste right all mashed up with your purple hull peas, which, I believe, is the only legal way to eat cornbread (at least where I grew up). The cast iron skillet is crucial, and in my house, the "oil" was bacon drippings. Mmmm - smother it all in cream gravy and call it dinner. Gawd, it was good. I should have had a coronary by the time I was 12
